On the job site at 81 Bay Street, Toronto, coordinating the largest manufacturing and installation project in our company's 30 year history - 43 custom elevators.

Extremely proud of the (almost) finished product - Canada's first video wall elevators at Manulife Canada Headquarters in Waterloo, Ontario, displaying a temporary development image during my early test runs.

Welcome to my website

Darren Scala | Durham Region, Ontario, Canada

My Online Presence Without Social Media

Authentic human connection has always mattered most to me, which is why I stepped away from social media back in 2010. I realized how much of our personal data was being exploited, how much time these platforms consumed, and how much deception was taking place. This website is my way of staying connected with friends, colleagues, and new acquaintances without the intrusion of social media tracking.

I bring many years of experience driving B2B & B2C sales and business development across a range of industries, combining a strong background in Residential Home Renovation, Combination Mechanics (i.e. heavy equipment, automotive, elevators), IT and Digital Imaging, with exceptional interpersonal, marketing, and technical skills that bridge people and technology.

They say 'necessity is the mother of invention'. After my promotion to project management following my predecessor’s resignation, I faced the challenge of coordinating the most complex project in our company’s history —the Fairmont Royal York Hotel modernization project— without a management system of any sort in place. As General Contractor, appointed by hotel ownership, I was responsible for overseeing all trades involved in the modernization of the hotel’s historic elevators. With no budget for Microsoft Project, I introduced a SaaS solution that allowed me to build detailed Gantt charts with dependencies and networking features at minimal cost. My system provided our clients and consultants with real-time, on-demand access to project status. It streamlined my communication in both in-person and remote stakeholder meetings, and significantly strengthened our company’s professional image.

Kevin and Drew performed the lion's share of the 43 elevators installed at 81 Bay Street CIBC Square. At the end of the project I wanted a photo of the three of us, because I was really proud of what we accomplished together over two years. These guys worked hard, kept pace and solved myriad problems without having to micromanage them. When I said goodbye, I asked them to describe my leadership style, and Drew responded without hesitation: <i>'Firm, but fair'</i>.

I have coordinated medium-scale commercial construction projects with budgets up to $2.4M at Canada’s premier elevator architectural finishes firm. The work’s dynamic nature and technical intricacies perfectly suit my skill set. Notable aspects include coordination with veteran installers on commercial job sites, collaboration with skilled craftsmen on a 65,000 sq-ft manufacturing floor, and steering make-to-order negotiations for complex products composed of raw steel, aluminum, and exotic materials with prestigious clients like Kingsett Capital, Oxford Properties, and BentallGreenOak.

Shot from a corporate video production that I scripted and co-directed, depicting close collaboration with our engineering dept, which is a big part of project management.

As project coordinator and acting public relations representative, I am privileged to accept accolades from these prestigious organizations on behalf of our dedicated teams, whose hard work and talent make our achievements possible.

Enjoying a winery in Niagara On The Lake

Today I enjoy helping people with their home renovation and repair jobs as a handyman, actively managing our investment portfolio, tracking the latest computer technology (yep, still a tech nerd!), and movie nights with my high school sweetheart on an incredible Atmos A/V system that rivals commercial theaters. While we still appreciate the silver screen, we don’t visit theaters quite as often anymore — watching at home is just so much cozier!

The Nikon 85mm f1.4 portrait lens was incredible.

Switching from Film to Digital was not easy. Sabine’s visit to my studio marked the beginning of a new chapter for me, as she became the very first bride I ever photographed with a digital camera! I am deeply grateful for the faith she showed in me, especially since I had no bridal portfolio to present to her — my film negatives and prints from past weddings had been lost in a flood in my apartment. Her elegance, charm, and effortless photogenic quality made the experience both memorable and inspiring. 💙

My main hobbies have been cars, computers, and cameras. Rebuilding cars and repairing other mechanical things like this and this and this and this, getting computers to do exactly what people need them to, and creating images that people enjoy. I started photography with a Pentax ME Super 35mm when I was 12. Over time, I drew inspiration from Annie Leibovitz, Ansel Adams, Yousef Karsh, and Edward Burtynsky.

You can explore my photography portfolio here and read my customer reviews here.

I’ve never claimed to be the best, in fact I’ve always believed photography is about more than just the final image ~ it’s also about how people feel in front of the camera. I worked hard to make that experience enjoyable, so clients could relax and look their best, which led to more success than I ever expected.

Eventually, the workload finally caught up to me. I was traveling constantly to cover events, editing tens of thousands of photos each month, and often working through the night — even on holidays like Christmas Eve — just to keep my clients happy. After five years at that pace, burnout inevitably hit. Then one client sued me for taking too long, so I rushed their work out through Walmart’s cheap printing service rather than my time consuming and expensive fine-art studio giclée equipment, delivered the digital work as-is, and decided it was time to close that chapter. The joy photography brought me for decades was just gone. It took nearly three years to wind down since I was booked that far in advance, but I honored each outstanding contract with gusto. After 12 years and 310 weddings, I can say that 98.4% of my clients were quite happy ~ and that’s something I’ll always be proud of!

Through it all, I was lucky to work with my talented partner and love of my life Teresa, and my dedicated assistants Sarah, Jaclyn, Christine, Steve, Mike and Gill ~ each of whom helped me through the beautiful chaos of wedding photography.

Commodore Pet 2001 Computer System | Circa 1979 | My first encounter with computers came in 1979 unexpectedly in the women’s undergarments department at Eaton’s, where I tagged along with my mom while she shopped. I didn't enjoy shopping, but that day changed everything — suddenly, shopping meant I could spend time playing on that computer. Not long after, she bought me one of my own, a generous decision that sparked a lifelong love of technology. And I became very good at it. Photo Credit: nightfallcrew.com

Commodore 64 system circa 1982 - This is not my actual system but mine was identical, except I had a modem and a printer in addition to what is shown here. This is a stock royalty-free image - I did not shoot it myself.

Starting with a Commodore Pet computer, I have been deeply involved with PCs since 1979. Fishing was my primary hobby as a young buck, but as I grew increasingly fascinated by computers, it gradually took a back seat. In the 80s I received training in Assembly Language Programming at a specialized private school that my mom sent me to. A full decade before the Internet became publicly available, my hacker pals and I (Vern Wood, Steve Cochrane, the late Mike Luchka and Greg Lopak) were already exploring the future of digital communication through early email systems using a national network called DATAPAC and international networks called FidoNet and UUCPNet . At 14 I taught the BASIC programming language to adults at the Scugog Memorial Public Library Computer Club. I registered my first Internet domain name and built my first website in 1996, and began offering PortPerry.com email accounts and dial-up Internet access packages to local residents and businesses, personally visiting each location to set everything up for them. I had 16 phone lines coming into my little studio apartment so that I could support 160 customers (i.e. ten per line). For many years later, I worked as an independent IT consultant, providing direct support to individuals and SMB across Ontario. Deeply familiar with tech, I left social media in 2010, too aware of its mechanics to want to take part. What feels like connection is more like compromise.

Exploring the Thousand Islands from a helicopter I chartered for Teresa's birthday. I made her sit in front because she's totally afraid of heights. I'm accustomed to riding sketchy buck hoists in high-rise construction projects and don't need therapy 😂 She *loved* the experience despite initial trepidation. Totally loved it!

My home office workstation today (which I built during the COVID lockdowns to stay busy) is a hyper-performance Windows 10 system powered by an AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX CPU paired with an ASUS Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE SE WIFI mainboard, and an EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 GPU. Equipped with three large 4K displays, it handles demanding applications and heavy content without breaking a sweat, including Adobe Photoshop for image editing and graphic design, Adobe Premiere Pro & After Effects for video production, Adobe InDesign for page layout design, SketchUp for 3D modeling, BlueIris Security with CodeProject AI, as well as multi-monitor securities trading on Questrade’s robust Edge platform. In addition, I run the Microsoft 365 suite, including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Teams and OneDrive, as well as Salesforce CMS and project management Gantt charts effortlessly. In fact, I can run all applications mentioned simultaneously and still have capacity to spare.

September 2025 - Tobermory Adventure

The pretty little village of Tobermory at sundown. I love this picture! Shot with my Pixel phone.

Teresa and I went on a hiking adventure in the Tobermory, Ontario area. We hiked 12km in total over some rough terrain in the Bruce Peninsula National Park and on Flowerpot Island, plus Singing Sands Beach & Trails. The Georgian Bay and Lake Huron waters are super pretty up in Tobermory. They remind me of the Florida Keys - absolutely crystal clear, in shades of blue, teal, turquoise and green. Beautiful and unforgettable.

'On the Water Kayaks' in foreground, where you can rent kayaks, jetskis and paddle boards, and the MS Chi-Cheemaun ferry in the background.

The MS Chi-Cheemaun ferry with her bow open to accept travelers in their vehicles. She goes back and forth between Manitoulin Island and Tobermory.

We stayed at Big Tub Harbour Resort , which we recommend. It was our second time staying at this property. Our room was clean, appeared recently renovated and had modern furniture, was reasonably priced and the staff are friendly and helpful. The beds and linens are comfy, the TV is big with a decent selection of channels, and there's a nice new deck out in the back. They sent us several texts to keep us in the loop as we were traveling up to their property. Excellent service! It's less than 5 minutes to the village. If you manage your expectations -remember you're not in a fine city center hotel- you'll be thrilled with Big Tub Harbour Resort!

Our hiking path through Bruce Peninsula National Park.

The waters in the Tobermory area remind me of the Florida Keys - absolutely crystal clear, in shades of blue, teal, turquoise and green.

We always choose the most difficult trails because we like the challenge and exercise, plus they're usually more scenic. You have your choice of difficulty at Bruce Peninsula National Park. To see the Grotto and Indian Head Cove, we took the Horse Lake Trail in, which is rated 'Moderately Difficult', but changes to 'Difficult' and then 'Very Difficult' as you get closer. We took the Marr Lake Trail out, which is rated 'Difficult' most of the way, then merges with the Georgian Bay Trail which is rated 'Easy'.

Boulder Beach on the Bruce Trail in Tobermory, Ontario, Canada.

One of the species of garter snakes. These guys aren't dangerous like the rattlers, but I still wouldn't want to get bit by ANY snake out here deep in the park. Wear boots, not flip-flops or sandals!

Rattlesnakes are fairly common in Bruce Peninsula National Park. We saw this 2-1/2 foot Massasauga rattler on the Horse Lake Trail, rattling away because I almost stepped on him (by accident). They won't jump out and attack you, but if you step on one there's a good chance you'll receive a bite, and without antivenom you would find yourself in a medical emergency with no help for an hour or more. If you're bit by a rattlesnake, call 911 and do not move! Moving spreads the venom faster! I saw 3 rattlesnakes. Teresa only saw this one, because I didn't tell her about the other two. We also saw garter snakes - they aren't dangerous, but they will bite you if stepped on, and while it doesn't hurt more than a bee sting, you could get infected. I won't even mention the monster wolf spiders I saw. I didn't tell Teresa because she would want to go home immediately :) We wear thick leather Zamberlan hiking boots to protect against nature (Teresa didn't wear hers on this trip, but usually does).

From the highest point I could find at Indian Head Cove in the gorgeous Bruce Peninsula National Park in Tobermory, Ontario, Canada. It looks a LOT higher in person than in this 2-dimensional photograph! I estimate this is about 80 feet off the water.

Our adventure in Bruce Peninsula National Park took us through Boulder Beach, the stunning Indian Head Cove and The Grotto, among other sights. I saw two big rattlesnakes on Boulder Beach but didn't take pictures because my balance was off due to the large rocks literally everywhere. Didn't tell Teresa because I didn't want her to get freaked out, but if I saw two they're probably everywhere under those rocks. This is where I saw a group of people struggling to navigate the boulders inappropriately dressed (i.e. flip-flops and sandals).

Indian Head Cove in the gorgeous Bruce Peninsula National Park in Tobermory, Ontario, Canada

Crazy people cliff jumping at Indian Head Cove in the gorgeous Bruce Peninsula National Park in Tobermory, Ontario, Canada

We didn't swim, but a few people were in the (very) cold water. Just an absolutely gorgeous area, and we had perfect weather to enjoy it. If you're in the Tobermory area and haven't seen Indian Head Cove, you must make an effort to go. So pretty.

The Grotto shot from the highest point in the area - wish I could get a better photo but I wasn't getting too close to the edge this time. On this particular day there were a lot of people around me and I get nervous when I'm not alone on the edge of a 70-foot cliff.

Again, too many people around me, so I didn't get too close to the edge. When I'm alone with Teresa it's a different story.

The Grotto for us is about taking in the beauty of the overall area, since we don't climb down into the actual grotto cave. We find the water is just too cold for that. But if you're in Tobermory you're probably there to see the Grotto, and it's a truly spectacular sight to see, even if it's only from above. Highly recommended experience!

Later, we hiked (actually 'walked' would be a better verb) another park nearby called Singing Sands Beach, which our $36 park pass to hike to the Grotto entitled us to. Apparently, if you must pay for parking at Singing Sands it's expensive (I heard $25 but don't quote me), and I'd be disappointed if I had to pay that much to hike this place, frankly. It's a beautiful, peaceful place, but it's underwhelming after trekking through Bruce Peninsula National Park.

This is the path from the entrance onto the beach.

Singing Sands Beach - The fragile and protected Sand Dunes. This is 5 photos stitched together to create a high resolution panorama of the area.

A nice place to bring children, because the water is so shallow and you can walk out a very long way, but a boring hike in our opinion. It's very flat and the trail through the woods is no different than any other walk through the woods in the GTA, where we are from. Maybe we didn't see anything really interesting because it was off season in September?

The sand dunes were sort of interesting, though they had it blocked off from the walking trail with a wooden fence. I didn't go into the dune for this reason, but I did stand on the edge and shoot a panorama. It is very similar to the sand dunes you see in places like St. Pete Beach, Florida.

Hiking Flowerpot Island - the large flowerpot formation. This is not our boat - ours was 65 feet long and had 2 levels.

Crystal clear turquoise water on Flowerpot Island in Tobermory, Ontario, Canada

After hiking around Bruce Peninsula National Park and Singing Sands Beach, the next day we cruised out to Flowerpot Island with Bruce Anchor Cruises for another great day of exploration in absolutely perfect weather again. Our captain was excellent - very professional and skilled. Our tour guides on the boat were really good, too. Highly recommended tour.

Hiking Flowerpot Island - the small flowerpot formation.

Water so pretty on Flowerpot Island you'll forget you're in Ontario. We stopped for lunch here and of course we had the usual suspect visitor looking for food. What a great spot.

We saw both 'flowerpot' rock formations, large and small, and beaches that looked like they were straight out of a travel magazine. Just stunning. We are so lucky to have such incredibly scenic places like this in Ontario. My photos do not do it justice!

Pretty Flowerpot Island shoreline panorama. This is 4 photographs stitched together to produce a high resolution panoramic image.

I believe they called this Shoal Beach on Flowerpot Island.

Flowerpot Island was a fun adventure. There are bathrooms and benches near the dock and the difficult trail will give you a very decent workout.

As we hike down a fairly steep and rocky decline into the woods, Teresa asks, 'Do you think there's any big spiders?' I replied, 'No, they don't really like islands. But she wasn't picking up what I was throwing down :)

I wanted a photo of Teresa between these two huge rock formations with trees growing out of them. At first she said 'No' because 'spiders'. I said I will go up there first myself to make sure there's no spiders. There were spiders, but I told her I didn't see any. Got the shot. I'm in trouble if she reads this.

When we were back in Tobermory village we enjoyed haddock and fries at Shipwreck Lee's , which was good. Friendly server - I can't recall her name, but she is awesome. We also ate at Pharos and had a high quality pizza. Both places had reasonable prices. Pharos has the cutest little Italian or Greek lady working; she helped me skip the long lineup so I could order takeout without waiting. The chef passed me on the way to the kitchen, obviously in a hurry, but still asked how I was doing with a smile on his way by - true old-school friendliness that I haven't seen for a long time. Reminds me of my hometown Port Perry.

There’s a coffee shop by the ferry —whose name I won’t bother to mention— that charges the most outrageous prices I’ve ever encountered in any tourist town. Honestly, even Niagara Falls looks cheap in comparison. Two medium dark roast coffees and two breakfast sandwiches cost us...$36! Teresa tipped them on top of this, because she said she felt obligated. I had no clue because she handled it while I found us table outside. We will never return.

And finally, Stella's Gelato and Cafe is nothing short of fantastic. Coffee lovers and gelato fans, do yourselves a favor and stop by. My Americano was outstanding, and Teresa said the gelato could justify our four-hour road trip by itself (lol). The café is gorgeous, and the young women running it are just as delightful. Hats off to you, ladies — you nailed it. We’ll be seeing you again!

October 2025 - Julia & Eric's Wedding Event

Eric Ferguson - My hard-working, handsome Nephew

My nephew got married this past weekend, and what a beautiful day it was! After shooting hundreds of weddings, I can say this one was really something special. Teresa and I loved being able to just sit back, enjoy the day, have conversations and take in the celebration ~ no schedules, shot lists or heavy camera gear to haul around this time. Shot a few snaps on my phone that I couldn’t resist taking from my seat. Hope you like them!

Colleen & Kevin Ferguson, the Mother and Father of the Groom.

Patrick & Lynne, the Brother and Mother of the Bride.

The ceremony was held outdoors on the bride’s parents’ beautiful property. We were lucky with the weather ~ the sun poked in and out of the clouds, and the rain held off.

Scott giving his daughter Julia away as Tara looks on.

Tessa Ferguson - My brilliant and stunning Niece

One of the day’s highlights was Eric and Julia’s gender reveal for their twins. They popped two giant balloons bursting with colored confetti ~ one blue, one pink! A boy and a girl are on the way, and the ceremony erupted with joy. I have no doubt little Mo is going to be an amazing big brother.

Main dinner area with entertainment area at the right-rear corner. My photo does NOT do it justice!

The bar, dance floor and lounge area. My photo does NOT do it justice!

The reception took place in a large barn on Julia’s parents’ property, which was completely transformed into an enchanting event space. Even though I didn’t see it before the makeover, I know what barns look like from growing up on a farm with one, and I’ve shot plenty of barn weddings ~ and this barn space was like no other. Eric and Julia’s family poured heart and soul into creating a setting that felt warm, inviting, and brimming with character.

The walls were decorated with Eric & Julia's impressive engagement photo print enlargements shot by their talented photographer, Summer Eyres , along with rustic mirrors and other unique accents that gave the space a cozy, personal feel. They even replaced the old floorboards, added area rugs under vintage tables, strung up twinkling lights, and hung a wagon wheel from the beam above ~ a fantastic touch!

It was also fun reconnecting with old friends ~ Mark and Christine, Bill and Tammy, and Rob and Laura. Meeting Laura for the first time was a treat; her classic 1940s style, bright personality, and deep knowledge of classic cars made her unforgettable. She knows more about cars than most car guys I’ve met ~ and I say that as one of them! Even my dad was impressed, and there's not many who know more about automotive than him.

Colleen, Christine and Tammy - Photo by Teresa

Tessa & Anthony arrive at the reception.

The father of the bride, Scott, and the father of the groom, Kevin, entertained us with their live music during dinner ~ a cool surprise and such a welcome change from the usual DJ playlist. It set the perfect tone for the evening, adding a touch of elegance and warmth.

The happy couple arrive at their reception.

Busy behind the scenes, Gail, my mom and the Grandmother of the Groom, and Colleen, my sister and the Mother of the Groom ~ put in countless hours creating beautiful and meaningful reception deserts. Their care could be seen and tasted in the delicious butter tarts, carrot cakes, cookies, marshmallow square and mini cheesecakes.